Lubricating devices



April 22, 1958 R. K. H. RUNKNAGEL LUBRICATING DEVICES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1957 Armpme/ April 1958 R. K. H. RUNKNAGEL 2,831,736

LUBRICATING DEVICES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 4, 1957 1 INVENTOR.

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LUBRICATING DEVICES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 4, 1957 5: EEZZEII:. 55,

5 :25: 5 TH ll. v w fi L w I United States Patent LUBRICATING DEVICES Rolf K. H. Runknagel, Reseda, Calif.

Application January 4, 1957, Serial No. 632,518

8 Claims. (Cl. 308-132) This invention relates to lubricating devices and is herein disclosed in some detail as embodied in a device adapted to fit in the standard journal box of the motor of a diesel-electric railroad locomotive, so as to use oil to the greatest advantage, avoid the glazing over of the lubricant feeding surface, and so designed as to be economically built out of simple parts, and adapted to operate best with a spring pressure against the rotating shaft of about three to five pounds instead of at least double that pressure, which is now deemed essential.

Such bearings have hitherto been usually lubricated by oil soaked up on a thick felt pad so that oil from an oil reservoir has been carried through the felt to the rotating shaft face.

The felt necessarily bore against the rotating shaft with substantial pressure, tending to slow the shaft and thus waste power, incidentally creating heat, and, more important, the felt tended to glaze over, thus supplying oil unequally to various parts of the shaft. This unequal distribution of oil was further accentuated by the hard surface of the hard felt which wore unequally and required unneeded oil in spots above the average needed in order to insure that less favored spots received adequate oil.

In addition, the oil feeding felt required a supply of oil reaching a high enough level to keep the oil in contact with the felt, thus leaving a substantial body of oil unutilizable in the hollow bottom of the unit supporting the felt.

In the endeavor to overcome some of the limitations involved in these or other factors, the blocks of felt were usually split into three separate units, in the hope that the single spring mechanism would separately press them independently against the rotating shaft thus, perhaps, getting better distribution of oil, but there was equal chance that one felt block might be the only unit eflfectively carrying the oil. Moreover, many of the irregularities in the shaft might be too small for the felt blocks to adjust to. Thus adjusting the springs of these prior devices might be useless in increasing the proper feeding of the oil.

According to the present invention the foregoing and other difficulties and objections are overcome, and a lubricating device is provided which may be called a plurality of rows of yarn loops gently pressed against the rotating shaft on elastic cellular sheet of rubber which in turn is spring-supported.

In the form shown the loops form part of yarns of which the ends may lie in the bottom of the oil reservoir, and the yarns themselves are shown as especially constructed to suck up oil in the reservoir and convey it to the loops.

To this end the yarns are shown as constructed of combed cotton viscose rayon staple, loosely bound together with a covering of braided-on wool yarns, and the wool is found to be most efficient when it is a coarse or carpet type wool, preferably carrying much of the natural grease of the wool, together with any oil or wax retained by the cotton.

The cellular rubber is preferably a synthetic rubber base highly resistant to oils, such as Buna rubber or neoprene, and the cells are preferably so constructed that they do not absorb oil. To this end the cells may be covered by a continuous skin and may be closed cells, so oil cannot enter.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the lubricating device installed ard form of bearing box;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of the lubricating device and some adjacent parts seen in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the unit, with parts-broken away;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rubber pad, partly broken away to show the cellular structure and the outer skins.

In the form shown the lubricating device forms part of in a standa box bearing [for a shaft 10 against which bear bronze journal blocks 11, 12.

The bronze journal block 11 is shown as carried by an upper bracket 13 of the box, and the block 12 is shown as carried by a lower bracket 14. v

The brackets 13 and 14 of the box leave an open space 15 between them, open both to an oil reservoir 16 cccupying the bottom of the box, and open, also, at 17, where it is shown as closed by a bolted-on cover 18.

In the form shown the cover 18 carries, bolted at 19 to its inner face, a mounting bracket 20, carrying indirectly the lubricating device of the present invention.

The bracket 20 is shown with upstanding marginalears 21, and across these ears 21 extend-s a shaft 22 by which the lubricating pad 23 is resiliently carried.

To attain this resiliency the shaft 22 serves as a pivot for rock arms 24 which point slantingly downward to their lower ends 25 where they carry a cross rod 26 on which the lubricating pad 23 is mounted.

In the form shown the pad 23 includes a series of sets of loops 27 forming the upper ends of yarns 28 which pass in bunches through openings 29 in a metal plate 30 so the lower ends 31 of the yarns 28 may lie in any oil which collects in the bottom of the reservoir 16.

To permit this lying of the yarn ends 31 on the bottom of the reservoir, they may pass through the usual, hitherto unutilized opening 35, into that bottom so they carry up by capillary action the very last drops of oil present and thus save any bearing which might have burned out if the. former blocks of felt had run dry when the oil got even a little low.

The yarn loops 27 are pressed against the rotating shaft 10 by a spring 32 coiled about the shaft 22 and tending to lift the pad 23 with its loops 27 by lifting a cross-bar 33 joining the rock arms 24 and movable in opening 34 in the ears 21.

Thus the spring 32 urges the cross-bar 26 upward, pressing the loops 27 against the shaft 10.

The cross-bar 26 carries the metal plate 30 by means of a tube 36 on which it may rock and which lies at the back of the metal plate 30, and is shown as held to the plate 30 by semi-circular straps 37.

The loops 27, however, do not rest directly on the plate 30 but are cushioned by lying upon a cellular rubber pad 38 (sometimes called sponge rubber) which covers the metal plate 30 except at the opening 29, and thus adds to the elasticity of the spring 32.

This pad 38, diagrammatically shown in Fig. 6, is preferably filled with closed cells 39 and the surface 3 throughout is so produced that it is covered by a continuous skin 40, thus preserving permanently the elasticity of the cells 39.

The pad 38 is shown as additionally held in place by a sheet 38a ofwoven textile; bound down at its long edges by plates 41 riveted to extensions 42 of the plate'30.

The plate 30 may additionally carry down-turned side ears 42 to strengthen it.

The plate 30 is shown as extended downward in a wing 43 beyond the lower rivet plate 41 serving to keep the free ends-28 of the yarnsinplace.

Thus wing 43 is held in place by an upper wing 44 beyond the upper rivet plate 41, the upper wing 44 including a depression 45 which hugs a steadying cross-bar 46 joining the rock arms 24- to hold them in line and hold the wings 44 in place.

The yarns 28 are technically defined as follows: Core is 2 ends of 0.6 hank roving (cotton count) of 2 /2 inch viscose rayon staple, spun on the American system. It has a braided cover'or Wrapping composed of 16 strands in 8 pairs of yarn 4.14 {cotton count) of a blend of Wool and viscose in which there is 62.25% wool and 37.75% viscose.

The device is well adapted to fit into a journal box having a capped side filling opening 47 and a bottom drain 48; and the rubber sheet is found adequate if it avoids under cuts, thus facilitating molding it.

Having thus described one form of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is:

l. A lubricating unit adapted to carry to a moving surface oil from a reservoir, said unit including a perforated metal plate, a sponge rubber sheet lying on said plate, wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforations, loops of said yarns above the plate adapted to convey oil to the surface to be lubricated, and free ends of said yarns lying below the plate and long enough to lie upon the bottom of an oil reservoir.

2. A lubricating unit adapted to carry to a moving surface oil from a reservoir, said unit including a perforated metal plate, a sponge rubber sheet lying on said plate, a continuous skin covering said sheet, wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforation, loops of said yarns above the plate adapted to convey oil to the surface to be lubricated, and free ends of said yarns lying below the plate and long enough to lie upon the bottom of an oil reservoir.

3. A lubricating unit adapted to carry to a moving surface oil from a reservoir, said unit including a perforated metal plate, a sponge rubber sheet consisting of closed cells lying on said plate, a continuous skin covering said sheet, wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforations, loops of said yarns above the plate adapted to convey oil to the surface to be lubricated, and free ends of said yarns lying below the plate and long enough to lie upon the bottom of an oil reservoir.

4. A lubricating unit adapted to carry to a moving sur- 4 face oil from a reservoir, said unit including a perforated metal plate, a sponge rubber sheet consisting of closed cells lying on said plate, a continuous skin covering said sheet, wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforations, a textile sheet with edges bound to the plate and holding said rubber sheet, loops of said yarns above the plate adapted to convey oil to the surface to be lubricated, and free ends of said yarns lying below the plate and long enough to lie upon the bottom of an oil reservoir.

5. A lubricating unit adapted to carry to a moving surface oil from a reservoir, said unit including a perforated metal plate, a sponge rubber sheet lying on said plate, wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforations, loops of said yarns above the plate adapted to convey oil to the surface to be lubricated, free ends of said yarns lying below the plate long enough to lie upon the bottom of an oil reservoir, and a bearing on the back of the plate by which it may be supported to rock around its bearing.

6. A lubricating unit adapted to carry to a moving surface oil from a reservoir, said unit including a perforated metal plate, a sponge rubber sheet lying on said plate, Wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforations, loops of said yarns above the plate adapted to convey oil to the surface to be lubricated, free ends of said yarns lying below the plate long enough to lie upon the bottom of an oil reservoir, a bearing on the back of the plate by which it may be supported to rock around its bearing, and extensions of said plate for guiding it and for guiding its yarn ends.

7. The combination with an oil reservoir having an open top, of a cover for the top, ears carried by the cover, rock arms supported by said ears, springs urging said arms upward, a perforated metal plate carried on said arms, a sponge rubber sheet lying on the plate, wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforations, loops of said yarns above the plate adapted to convey oil to a surface to be lubricated, and free ends of said yarns lying on the bottom of the reservoir.

8. The combination with an oil reservoir having an open top of a cover for the top ears carried by the cover, rock arms supported by said ears, springs urging said arms upward, a perforated metal plate carried on said arms, a sponge rubber sheet lying on the plate, wool covered rayon yarns passing through the perforations, loops of said yarn above the plate adapted 'to convey oil to a surface to be lubricated, free ends of said yarns lying on the bottom of the reservoir, a rod connecting the free ends of said arms, and a support on the back of said plate rockable on said rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,721 Williams Aug. 27, 1889 FOREIGN PATENTS 93,540 Sweden Dec. 2, 1938 

